The Minority members in Parliament are begging the Majority side to begin the process for approval of a mini budget for the first quarter of 2025.
According to them, failure of the House to approve the expenditure in advance of appropriation for January to March 2025 before it dissolves could have dire consequences, including the risk of public sector workers not being paid.
“And so, colleagues, I want to beg our brothers and sisters on the other side of the House. In 2016, when it happened to us that we were halved, we came and we supported them to bring the vote on account, and so they should help us to also bring the vote on account so that we can pass it for the coming government,” Member of Parliament for Ho West, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, said on the floor.
The constitution states that there should be a vote on account approved by Parliament for the first quarter of the year after a general election. This is to give the new government the spending power, while it settles to prepare a comprehensive fiscal policy for the year.
The incoming Mahama administration appears to be scared of suffering such an occurrence, considering the lackadaisical attitude of the majority to lay the necessary papers for the process to commence.
ABSENCE
The Minister for Finance, Dr. Amin Adam, was absent in Parliament on Tuesday, December 17, 2024 to lay the paper, when the Speaker called for it.
None of the leadership of the majority was in Parliament to direct the House on which business to transact, a situation that made it impossible for the House to work.
Members of the majority who were present told the House they did not have the authority of the minister to lay the paper on his behalf.
The Minority Chief Whip, Governs Agbodza, raised concerns about the absence of the minister and the delay for that item to be taken, alleging a conspiracy on the part of the government.
“I hope that there’s no conspiracy to make it impossible for this to be taken until the eighth parliament expires. It is a mystery, Mr. Speaker. It is a mystery,” he stressed.
Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, called on the Speaker to compel the majority to perform its constitutional duty.
“Mr. Speaker, you have all the powers to compel these people to perform the duty that they must perform under the constitution,” Armah Buah said.
REPRESENTATION
Responding to the issue of a member of the majority representing the minister for finance, the MP for Manhyia South, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, reminded the House that even Speaker Bagbin had had cause to declare that his deputies could not represent him on some matters.
Also, the House was reminded that there had been instances where the minority demanded that a sector minister be physically present in the House before motions would be taken.
Asking what had changed, the Manhyia MP stated that the members of the House on the majority side who were present had not been authorised by the minister to lay the paper.
“Mr. Speaker, what we are saying is so fundamental to the issue. We have been in this Chamber when the Speaker has said that even the deputy Speakers cannot represent him on certain issues. “The most serious aspect of this is that if we don’t get the finance minister, we cannot move. Even bills, we have been told that if the minister doesn’t comes, the bill cannot be presented. Haven’t we been told that by our honourable colleagues?” he said.
The MP for Suame, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, informed the House that the minister was checking his figures to meet the discussions ongoing at the transition meeting, which is the reason he could not lay the paper.
Some other members of the majority who also commented said the minority had no moral right to force the majority to work, given that some weeks ago, the minority turned the business into fighting over who was in the majority or minority.
TAX WAIVER
The House was thrown into confusion on Monday when the Majority Leader included tax exemptions in the business for the meeting. The minority insisted that they would not support the decision by the government to grant a tax waiver to some factories under the One District, One Factory policy.
During the debate on the floor yesterday, some members on the side of the majority indicated that if the minority wanted to work, then they should start from approving the tax waiver, and then others could follow.
The House adjourned to today to continue proceedings after all indications pointed to the fact that neither the finance minister, nor any of the members on the side of the majority, was ready to lay the paper for the expenditure in advance of appropriation for January to March 2025.
